To wonder how all the people wearing the French flag on FB feel now they've bombed Syria?

[TheHouseOnTheLane]

So..."everyone" popped a French flag on their FB profile in sympathy with Paris.

Now France has shot over there and dropped 20 bombs on ISIS HQ and training centre.

So...people are happily condoning war really.

Why not all change profile pics to a peace sign?

I know ISIS are bad...but as we all say, violence solves nothing. Nothing.

You are saying you think thw French should cease their airstrikes on ISIS because of the terrorist attacks?!

Don't you find the timing of these attacks concerning?

The official line is that they were attacks that were coming anyway, planned far in advance bla bla bla. My arse they were.

If France had intel on Syrian ISIS camps then they should have been dealt with already. No - they wait until two days after this, then knee-jerk and send their planes over. Which, if FB were to be believed, included 'From Paris' remarks on the missiles.

It smacks of revenge killing, which is not the way successful offensives against terror are won.

It's the way wars are started. Not 'distant' wars, like the civil war in Syria, safely 3000 miles away with mainly only non-Europeans dying. WW3 type wars, where if Syria choose to retaliate will see planes coming over to hit Paris, London etc.

I think a lot of people in support of Frances actions are very short sighted tbh. It was a poorly thought out move IMO.

I honestly don't think there is any other answer but to try and weaken the IS through military attacks. These people have become depraved. The beheadings, the sickening violence towards women and children. Everyone needs to stand up to this.

To quote a great man "The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."

More should have been done sooner to prevent our young people becoming radicalised.

France are our closest neighbours geographically, they share much of our wat of life.most people will gave visited and know people in Paris or at least France.It is like saying why did you go to the funeral of a colleague or neighbour when other people are dying every day

IMHO what happened in Paris was an act of war
This

It wouldn't suprised me if in many years to come we are talking about the Paris attacks in the same way as we do the assasination of Franz Ferdinand and the invasion of Poland... the catalysts for widespread war.

ODFOD OP. What did you think would happen. The French would say it's fine to have murdered 150 of our citizens for no reason other than the fact you don't think they should attend concerts, watch football matches or go out for dinner.

International law and norms mean nothing to ISIS. You can't negotiate with them, they want us and our way of life eradicated. Syria is a bloody mess and in part we're responsible for that (Tony Blair should hang his head in shame in a court not make heavily-remunerated speeches) but we are where we are and this means bombing their training camps etc. Do you think if we don't ISIS will become a reasonable member of the international community or is it possibly more likely they will remain a group of murdering bastards.

Because the whole concept of changing your PP to a flag didn't exist until Saturday morning and FB will change it to a tricolour for you. That's why. You really didn't know that?

And you didn't previously know, Alice that FB allows you to change your profile picture to whatever the hell you want? Come on now, that's disingenuous to say the least.

People are really soo desperate to appear to take the moral high ground and appear so right on.
It must tax their teeny brain cells to understand that some of us are capable of having lots of opinions and are able to speak up and campaign regarding a whole raft of situations all at the same time.
I pity them .

ISIS are bent on exterminating all Shia muslims as their territory expands. While this doesn't fit the technical definition of genocide, it comes close. Should we have left Hitler to get on with it because "violence solves nothing"?

Weren't all the terrorists involved in the Paris attack Europeans? I just heard on the news that most of them were French, not immigrants but born in France.

where if Syria choose to retaliate will see planes coming over to hit Paris, London etc.

You do understand Summer that ISIS and Syria aren't the same entity.

As we all say, violence solves nothing, nothing

No that's what you say not what we all say there is no hive mind, you might believe a leaflet drop is effective against Jihadi rapists, murderers and maniacs lots of us don't.

We're not going to beat Isis by treading carefully imo. I fully support the decision to bomb the fuck out of them.

My support for Paris, Nigeria, Bairut (I know I've spelt that wrong) & anywhere suffering the pain caused by terrorism is unwavering. I have family in Paris and the fact that France has seemed a focal point for terrorist activities this year is worrying.

Fine by me.

80smum - yes, the brothers from molenbeek attended Isis training skills and brought their "skills" back to Europe - does that make you feel warm and fuzzy now - knowing they had Belgian passports?

I have no problems with France bombing, and didn't before the attacks on the 13th.

I look at it in the same light I'd look at chemo being used to get rid of cancer.

HTH

"I know ISIS are bad...but as we all say, violence solves nothing. Nothing"

As do peace talks with terrorist organisations like ISIS

What most people on here fail to grasp is that the attacks in Paris are too close to home. It could have been London or any other European capital city.

I am old enough to remember the continuous threat of bomb attacks, mainly in London, under the IRA. I don't want to go back to that.

Unfortunately ISIS are not the IRA. They have a different mindset and are willing to die for their cause so reasoning with them isn't going to work either.

Since the OP has the answers perhaps she would care to share them with us.

What's your bright idea then OP to irradiate IS? Unfortunately the only way to get rid of these monsters is to kill them. What other alternative is there?

Bunbaker I agree with most of your post, except to point out that the threat of bombs in Belfast was more than in London, it seems odd to say London suffered more.

I've no problem with the bombing.

But Assad's a bastard too.

Poor Syria. No wonder people are desperate to get out.

Can't speak for others but I'm still pissed off at Russians for giving the Ukrainians the equipment & lousy training so that they shot down the Dutch-Indonesian plane. Russians didn't deserve a plane shot down, but not easily feeling affinity with them either.

Sorry Rainuntil You are right. I meant it from my perspective as I was living in London at the time. I remember the constant bag searches every time we entered a public building. The terror of finding unattended parcels, the bomb scares - we even had one at school.

'but as we all say, violence solves nothing. Nothing"'

'We' don't all speak with one voice.

Bollocks is it realism from people who couldn't even point to Syria on a map, never mind Raqqa.

So anyone who has a differing opinion to you is as thick as mince and doesn't even know where or possibly what Syria even is.
Niiiice.
Intelligent people can hold "so they got bombed. Good. A few less of them" view.
For what it's worth, I'm glad something has finally started to get done. They're hardly the types to sit down round with a cup of tea and slice of cake, and sort it out nicely, are they.
Oh, and I know exactly where Syria is on the map thank you. I could even point out Raqqa.
'Cos I know my geography and can point out and name all the world's countries.

What's your bright idea then OP to irradiate IS? Unfortunately the only way to get rid of these monsters is to kill them. What other alternative is there?

This. I hate the bombing, but what other way is there?